1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a medical device with audio instructions and more specifically a tourniquet with audio instructions to provide to the user operational instructions.
2) Description of Related Art
Tourniquets are designed to control life-threatening vascular hemorrhaging from extremity wounds. Improperly used, the tourniquet can create complications when improperly applied that can result in significant tissue damage, limb loss, increased bleeding, and increased mortality. From recent studies of the battlefield, it has been discovered that exsanguination from extremity wounds is the leading cause of preventable death among casualties in the battlefield. Particularly, tourniquets such as the Combat Application Tourniquet (C-A-T) (U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,842,067; 7,892,253; 8,047,850 and 8,888,807) have proven to be effective to reduce preventable combat deaths. Currently, the C-A-T is standard military issue and all soldiers are trained to use them.
Such tourniquets, including the C-A-T, has transitioned to civilian emergency care. Some police and fire departments routinely use them in the field, and were even crucial for emergency treatment of victims either at the location of the incident of subsequent health treatment locations.
When using the C-A-T, it has been shown to be fairly intuitive and even comes with printed instructions. However, medical professionals stress that for proper application to control bleeding and to avoid ischemic and neurological complications, proper use is critical. For both adults and children, the tourniquet should be placed just above the wound (such as 2 to 3 inches) and not just on the thigh or upper arm. The time of the tourniquet application should be recorded so that it can be provided to the medical professional. Under some medical guidelines, if the transportation time from the incident location to emergency care is less than two hours, the tourniquet can remain in place. However, when the transit time is longer (and the patient is stable), it may that in some cases the tourniquet would be gradually loosened and convert to hemostatic and/or pressure dressings to control the hemorrhaging. Following these, and other instructions, is critical as noted by medical professionals.
Tourniquets can be vitally important for wounds such as penetrating trauma from firearms and stabbings, terrorist incidents with high-velocity blast injuries to the limbs, injuries in rural or wilderness areas where resources are limited and transport to definitive care may be difficult or delayed, and industrial or farm accidents. In addressing the first two situations, there is a movement to provide such tourniquets as the C-A-T in public places such as airports, movie theaters, schools, malls, and the like. The challenge then becomes educating the general public on how to properly apply a tourniquet.
When the automated external defibrillators (AED) were initially placed in public, providing instructions for use was, in one format, through audio instructions such as United States Patent applications 2006/0178865. This AED naturally lends itself to audio instructions as it is an electronic device and its operating involves actuating the device, usually with a button. Therefore, it is natural to initiate the instructions through the push of a button. The use of recorded speech with medical devices has been used for attachment to medical devices such as United States Patent Application 2012/0252367 which include a port or a connector for interchangeably connecting the module to the medical device. United States Patent Application 2012/0116794 discloses a medical advice card and label containing an embedded audio chip or card. The embedded audio chip or card plays information related to a health care treatment plan in order to improve compliance with physician instructions. The medical advice card or label may also contain written information relating to the audible information related to a health care treatment plan. A similar device to provide for medical instructions is disclosed in United States Patent Application 2011/0123971. However, none of these references disclose an apparatus that is well suited for a tourniquet in that the tourniquet does not have the ability to be interfaced electronically with the audio device, applied under battlefield and emergency trauma environments, and can be easily separated from a cord.
Further, for the proper use of a field tourniquet, there are advantageous pressure ranges. The minimum effective pressure for a tourniquet applied to the thigh is 90 mm to 100 mm Hg above systolic blood pressure so that in a normotensive and non-obese injured individual, a pressure of 250 mm HG is sufficient. For tourniquet application to an arm, 200 mm Hg pressure is recommended.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide for an instructional module for providing audio instructions directed to the proper application of a tourniquet.
It is another object of the present invention to provide for an instructional module that can be attached to a tourniquet.
It is another object of the present invention to provide for an instructional module that can be actuated in the normal operation of the tourniquet.
It is another object of the present invention to provide for information to an user concerning the proper pressure applied by the tourniquet.